True leadership on toxics

Authors

Devon PageLawyer

As Canadian kids of the Christmas persuasion impatiently eye the boxes beneath the tree, it’s good to know that our hard work on product safety will translate into better protection for them from toxic chemicals in their toys and our homes.

Coming on the heels of the proposed ban for the toxic substance DecaBDE in electronics we helped achieve earlier this year in Canada, the US EPA announced last week that several American companies are following in our footsteps by phasing out the manufacturing of this prevalent but highly toxic fire retardant.

DecaBDE, is used in everything from video game consoles and TVs to drapes and furniture. It accumulates in breast milk, fish and birds to cause liver, thyroid and developmental problems in humans and wildlife. The voluntary decision by these companies is to be applauded, and we are glad to see that Ecojustice’s senior scientist Dr. Elaine MacDonald was out in front on this issue. Given this announcement by the chemical companies that make DecaBDE, Ecojustice will ask Canada to broaden its proposed ban on DecaBDE from electronics to a total ban on all uses DecaBDE.

We’re also pushing hard to keep the lead-ridden kids toys off the Canadian market by making science- and legally-based submissions supporting a strong and effective Bill C-6, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act.

It’s encouraging to see Canada leading a forward-thinking and precautionary approach towards environmental and human health. As the feds implement their deca ban in electronics, and the House considers C6’s product monitoring and enforcement changes, we’ll continue to hold our leaders accountable on behalf of the public. Look forward to hearing more about our toxics research and legal actions in the new year.